Fire-extinguishing apparatus.



H. M. MOGASLIN. PIRE EXTINGUISHING APPARATUS'. APPLICATION FILED PEB. 21, 1908.

` Patented June 20, 1911.

3 SHEETBf-8HEET 1.

H. M. MGGASLIN. FIRE EXTINGUISHING APPARATUS.

APPLIOATION FILED PEB. 21, 190s.

Patented June 20, 1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Civili-weones H. M. MGGASLIN.

HRB. BXTINGUISHING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 21, 1908. y

Patented June 20, 1911.

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HARRY M. MGCASLIN, 0F ELMIRA, NEWT YORK, ASSIGNORTO AMERICAN-LA vFRANGIEI ENGINE COMPANY, 0F ELMIRA, NEW YORK, A\CORPORATION 0F NEW YORK.

IFIRE-EXTINGUISHING APPARATUS.

Application led February 21, 1908. Serial No. 417,150.

To all whom 'it may concern.

Be it known that I, HARRY M. MCCASLIN, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Elmira., in the county of Chemung and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Extinguishing Apparatus, of which the following 1s `a specification.

l non-freezing liquids, the obj ect being to provide apparatus which will not be affected by natural temperature changes, nor subject to loss of pressure, nor to deterioration by corroding action, and particularly which is so secure and positive in operation as to be susceptible of use in locations where the conditions are particularly adverse as, for ex-l ample, on railway cars and in other places where jar and shock are apt to disarrange themechanism.

My invention 'consists in the several mat` ters set forth in the appendedclaims and will first be fully described ywith reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l'is a sectional elevation of a ire extinguisher embodying my invention, a

part of the extinguisher being broken away;V

and one form of the cartridge containing lluid gaseous at atmospheric temperatures,

pressures and temperatures, and also showing adjacent parts ofthe extinguisher top; Fig. 7 is a sectional elevation illustrating the upper part -of thisform of cartridge and the .charging devices; and Fig. 8 is a lside View of the sealing` nut preferably used with this form of the invention.

Referring to the liquid-container; the shell specieatibn of Lettersratent. Patented June 20, 1911.

0r cylinder l of the extinguisher'may be 0f any usual or preferred construction, but is preferably, as shown, `constructed from drawn seamless tubing, closed at bottom by flanged and dished head 2, secured in place by beading 3, andreinforced with solder at Y 4. At top, the cylinder has an externally screw threaded neck or collar 5, deeply flanged at 6 under the yedges of the shell, and secured by brazing or otherwise. The cylinder head-0r cover 7 has the internally screw threaded flange 8 engaging the collar 5, the handles 9 enabling the head to be turned on and off, and an internally screw threaded neck 10. provided with gas passages 11 communicating from the interior of said neck to the interior of the collar 5, and so to the upper or pressure area 12 of the rextinguisherv cylinder. Also attached to the shell l is the discharge pipe 13- extending substantially to the bottom. of the cylinder 'and there provided preferablyl with al \strainer 14, while exterior to the cylinder there is connected to the pipe 13 theA usual flexible hose 15 having preferably the customary discharge nozzle (not show-n).

The cylinder 1 is to be filled substantially t0 the level of the mark 16 with a suitable fire extinguishin fluid, preferably a solution which remains uid under any ordinarily occurring low temperature, especially one containing materials readily obtainable in the most out-of-the-way places, for Aexample a solution of calcium chlorid in water, which has in itself valuable fire extinguishing qualities. A `disadvantage heretofore inherent in apparatusemploying such non-freezing sollitions hasv been the tendency to form insoluble salts due to the chemical action taking place s when the contents of the extinguisher were commingled to produce the dischargin pressure, the result of the formation o such salts being a `fouling of the extinguisher and its discharge pipe and consequent interference with that certainty of operation which is necessary to suit the exigent requirements of underwriters.

Referring now .to the pressure supplying means: this par-t of my improvements is direct-ed tothe provision of means for supplying pressure, vwhich means shall be inert to the extinguisher solution, constant and unaffected ;materially by temperature changes. To this endI employ in connection with a container for Such a non-freezing fluid as described above, a flask or cartridge containlow natural temperatures substantially constant pressure for the expulsion with` great force of the contained extinguisher Huid until the cpmplete evacuation of the extinguisher is reached. The. cartridge must be of suiiicient strength to resist the bursting strain of such confined body offluidunderv the greatest variations of temperature,

whether due to natural causes or the proximity of llame, and should also have, as a safety device, means for. gradually letting olf the pressure should unsafe limits be reached, and preventing the destructive bursting of the cartridge. VAThecartridge is fshown at 17, of cylindrical form and consisting of a drawnsteel tubing, permanently.-

sealed at the bottom as by means of the 'if' ed to receive a neckI 20. ha

welded bottom disk 18. A centrally-aper- 0 tured disk 19 is fastened to the upper end of the cylinder and is centrally screw-thread-` the central supply and discharge orifice 21. Inthe side of the neck 20v is a charging socket 22, screw threaded to receive the 'charging pi e 23 (see Fig. 2), which may beconnecte to a supply of carbonio acid under high pressure. Central of the neck 20 is a chamber 24 communicating with the socket 22 as most clearly 40 appears in Fig. 2. It will 'be most conven- \1ent to first describe the means of charging the cartridge. ViWhen a cartridge is Vto be charged, the socket of the neck 20 is screwed upon the end of charging pipe 23, bringing the socket in communicatlon through the passages 25, 24, 21, with the interior of the cartridge. A sealing nut 26 is screwed into the internal screw thread of the upper end of the neck 20 and has attached t0 lts lower end and sealing its axial chamber 27 a brass disk or diaphragm 28. It will be seen that when this sealing nut is in the upper position shown in Fig. 2, the chamber 24 is open` to both the passages 25 and 21 and the charging pipe 23 is thus in communication with the cartridge, but when the sealing nut is screwedA down as shown in Fig. 1, the sealing disk 28 covers both of the passages 25, 21,- and eifectually seals theV cartridge. An annular lead gasket 29 placed on the bottom of the chamber 24 with apertures in the line of the passages 25, 21, perfects the 'sealing action of the disk 28 when the seal- -ing nut is down. I do not, however, depend entirely upon the'sealing nut 26 and disk 28 -when filling or charging the cartridge, but A by preference attach to the neck atlling l against a lead gasket 31, interposed between its lower edge and a shoulder on the said neck. An operating stem 32 extends--axiall through the filling cap and throughastujlp-7 ing box 33 thereon', and is provided at its upper end with a mit or paned surface 34,

and at its lower end withln the chamberedportion of the cap with Aa head 35, fitted to engage rectangular or otherwise paned extenor of the sealing nut 26. When thetlling cap is applied tothe neck of the cartridge and the latter screwed upon the filling pipe 23, the operating stem 34 is turned to raise the sealing nut 26 to the position shown in Fig. 2, thus Vopening the communication between. the pipe 23 and the cartridge and carbonic acid gas under suitable ressure is supplied thereto under control o an usual or preferred valve sufficient quantity' of carbonio acid in compressed or liquid .form has entered the cartridge, the supply is stopped, the stem 32 is turned 1n reverse directlon, the sealing nutturnedhtdlown soas to force theseaslin disk 28 tig y against the u per en o passages 25, 21, and the illling cap and stem en.- a

may now be removed and thecartridge removed from the filling pipe 23, leaving the Y cartridgethoroughly lsealed and in form suitable for use or shi ment;

In Fig. 1 the cartrldge is shown applied to the extinguisher for use. Before the head or cover-7 is applied to the extinguisher,

the neck 20 of the cartridge is screwed within the neck 10 of said head, in which position the lower end of a sliding stem 37 engages within the chamber 27 of the sealing nut, bringing the teat 38 on its lower end immediately above the sealing disk V28.A The stem 37 has a head 39 with a suiliciently broad upper surface to enable it to be struck sharply by the hand without discomfort' when its lower end is to be used for perforating the disk. The stem has a s'uliciently loose fit in the axial opening 40 of the head' 7 to enable gradual changes of pressure occurring in the extinguisher to communicate with suliicient freedom through said axial seat, and thus prevent that gradual evacuation, or siphoning of the extinguisher which would be caused by repeated changes of pressure of the confined air,in the extinguisher due to temperature changes. The stem has the enlarged portion 41 immediately above the teat 38 substantially filling' the cross sectional area of t chamber 27 so that when the stem has been struck smartly down and the disk 28 perforated and the confined gas within the cartridge forces its way up through 'the aperture in the sealing disk to prevent the development the disk and against the lower end of the 'stem and the tapered lower surface of the enlargement 41, the stem will be thrownup to clear the teat 38 from the sealing disk and force the upper or shouldered surface 42 of the enlargement 4l against the lower end of the axialV seat 40. The engaging surfaces of the shoulder 42 and the lower end of axial seat 40 are preferably made with a ground joint so that at this point the extinguisher is elfectually sealed to prevent the escape 4of the confined pressure, which is all thus directed to operat1on on the surface. of the extinguisher fluid, which is forced downward in the extinguisher out through the strainer 14 and tubes 13, 15, and all under sufficient control by reason of the small area of the opening which has been made in of abnormal pressures withinI the extinguisher at any time. The enlargement or head 41 serves, it will.be seen, the double purpose of'sealing `the passage around the stem 37 and preventing the stem from being forced out through the head when the pressure of carbonio acid is released into the outer cylinder.

It will be seen that the apparatus explained `is capable of subjection to the highest tests to obtain a sufficient safety factor, to which end the cartridge, after assembling and attachmentof'the neck, is subjected in practice to a heavy hydrostatic pressure of say six thousand pounds to the square inch. When the sealing nut with the disk seal has been introduced, they are tested to a hydrostatic pressure of say thirtyfive hundred pounds, the purpose being to have the sealing disk set at such strength as to yield first to undue expansion and corresponding high pressure within the cartridge so'as to allow the gradual escape of the contained pressure `within the cartridge and avoid a rupture of the main body thereof Awhich might be dangerous. The disk seal, therefore, acts asa safety blow-out, as

a permanent seal, as a temporary seal during charging, and as a means for gradually letting off` the pressure into the extinguisher when the latter is put in use. In a preferred embodiment of my inven' tion shown inA Figs.4 6, 7, and 8, the transfer ofthe filling socket from the cartridge neck to the filling cap, enables the shortening of the neck and the simplifying of its construction somewhat.- As shown here, the cartridge neck 2 0a ismade without a filling socket and shortened in height. This construction does away with the port 25. The

socket 22a is made in the filling cap30, (see Fig. 7), and when the filling pipe 23 is connected thereto and the pressure turned on to fill the cartridge, the fluid finds its way from the interior of the cap 30 down between the outer walls of nut 26 and the inner face of its seat-in the neck 21h-the outerlwall ofthe nut being to this end preferably made with l one or more paned surfaces or ports 25 (Fig. 8), to permit the passage of the fluid from the upper part of the filling cap to the chamber 24 within the neck .20a below the diaphragm 28, and thence to the interior of the cartridge. Furthermore, the diaphragm being only attached at onepoint, (or at two diametrically opposite points), by a drop of solder, to the under surface 'of the nut 28, it

will readily permit the fluid topass down ward by bowing as l,shown in Fig. 7, while the filling is going on, and thus enables the fluid, which reaches the chamber 27 of the nut by passing through the loose fit-between the head of the nut 26 and the wrench head 35 of the filling stem 32, to pass on to the cartrid e. Further free'passage of the fluid to the mterior of chamber 27 ispreferably supplied by .apertures 25b through `the wrench head 35. It will be apparent that while- I prefer to use all of the. devices shown for insuring the passage of fluid from the interior of the cap, to the interior ofthe container 17, some may be used without the others. With'this form of the invention, thc operation of filling and sealing the cartridge is performed in the same way as with that first described, but it will be seen that when the sealing nutis turned down it only seals the one passage-viz., that leadinginto the cartridge body. A considerable rsaving of cost and additional simplicity of construction and certainty of operation are effectedA by putting the filling connection only on the relatively few filling caps at the charging 4station instead of on all the cartridges sent out with individualextinguishers- While I have vshown and described certain forms of my invention, it is obvious that the same may be modified in many ways without departing from the essential principles thereof which are set forth claims.

What I claim is: Y .y

1. In apparatus of the character described, the combination with a container for liquid extinguisher, of a'container for fluid gaseous at atmospheric temperatures and pressures having a gas passage, a sealing diaphragm for said passage, a chambered body above the diaphragm, and a-puncturing member slidingly supported in said chambered body so 3. In apparatus Of the character described, the' Outer container for' extinguisher fluid, the container for fluid under high pressure, having a sealed discharging passage for said Huid and an Operating member for the seal Vin said passage, saidv member loosely supported in and passing through the outer container, whereby pressure in the Outer container is equalized with the atmospheric pressure and siphoning prevented.

4. In apparatus Of the character described, the combination with a container for liquid extinguisher, of a container for fluid gaseous at atmospheric temperatures and pressures having a gas passage, a sealing diaphragm for said passage, a chambered body above the diaphragm, and a puncturing member having a head or enlargementslidably supported in said chambered body so as to be operated upon by the escaping gas, the puncturing member being loosely seated in the container for liquid extinguisher and its head Or enlargement having tight fitting engagement with the inner end Of said seat when the head is raised.

` 5, In apparatus of the character described, the combination with a container for eX- tinguisher liquid, having a removable head provided with a cartridge support and a shdable puncturing stem, of a container for Huid gaseous at atmospheric temperatures and pressures having a neck, provided with a chamber open exteriorly and connected to the interior of the container; and a chambered sealing nut and diaphragm in said neck chamber,the puncturing stem Vsupported to engage in the chamber of the seallng nut in proximity t0 the sealing diaphragm.

HARRY M. MCOASLIN.

Witnesses:

JOHN B. ROSE, A. E. RHODES. 

